Opportunities for Funding

Since 2013, the Bayne Foundation has provided grants to organizations for community development, education and human services projects.

The Bayne Foundation supports qualifying programs and organizations which produce cost-effective results that can be measured and evaluated, demonstrating innovative and long term strategies that address recognized needs and demonstrate an ability to be sustainable.

The Bayne Foundation provides discretionary grants to qualifying charitable organizations with an eye towards advancing principles of liberty and charitable giving.

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The six priority areas are: Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Agriculture Systems and Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities. Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this Request for Applications (RFA). See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific detail.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This notice identifies the objectives for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
Foundational and Applied Science program projects, deadlines, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions. AFRI is America’s flagship competitive grants program that provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. In this RFA, NIFA requests applications for the six AFRI priority areas through the Foundational and Applied Science Program for 2024. The goal of this program is to invest in agricultural production research, education, and extension projects for more sustainable, productive, and economically-viable plant and animal production systems. The global agricultural output needs to be expanded significantly to meet the food needs of the population expected in 2050; thus, it is imperative to develop innovative, safe, and sustainable management strategies for livestock (including poultry and aquaculture species), crops, and critical underlying resources.

Applications that address climate change, food and nutrition security, expanding markets for producers, indigenous traditional ecological knowledge, and equity for underserved producers are welcome. Also welcome are applications that incorporate virtual learning options, where appropriate and practical for integrated programs.

In 2024, applications are sought in the following priority areas:
1. Plant health and production and plant products;
2. Animal health and production and animal products;
3. Food safety, nutrition, and health;
4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;
5. Agriculture systems and technology; and
6. Agriculture economics and rural communities

The amount available for programs included in the FY 2024 AFRI Foundational and Applied
Science (FAS) RFA is approximately $300,000,000. Funding from FY 2025 appropriations will
be used for the programs solicited in this RFA. The amount available to support the AFRI
program is anticipated to be approximately $407,000,000, of which $300 million will be used to support AFRI FAS programs.

This RFA solicits Standard Grants, Conference Grants, Coordinated Agricultural Project Grants, and Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants, whereas project types solicited in this RFA are Research, Extension, Education and Integrated Research, Education and/or Extension projects. Grant types and project types solicited vary by program area priority and not all grant types are solicited within each program area priority. See Part I § C (Program Area Descriptions) for grant and project types solicited by each specific program area priority, and Part II § C for a description of each individual grant type and project type.

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support:

1. professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals;

2. non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth;

3. workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges;

4. training of undergraduate students in research and extension;

5. fellowships for predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars.

OVERVIEW
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals to strategically protect and enhance essential habitats in Hawaiʻi, from mauka to makai (from the mountain to the ocean), to reduce extinction risk and sustain resilient populations of native species relating to NFWF’s Hawai‘i Conservation Program Business Plan. Species and habitats of interest include palila (finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper), kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill), Oʻahu elepaio (monarch flycatcher), ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel), ‘alalā (Hawaiian crow), and conservation objectives on Lānaʻi. The Hawaiʻi Conservation Program anticipates awarding approximately $2.1 million in grants. Major funding partners include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, and Pūlama Lānaʻi.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
To be eligible for funding, projects must occur within the areas illustrated in Maps 1-3 below.
Priority geographic locations include those found on the islands of Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Lānaʻi, and Oʻahu.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES
All proposals must specifically address how projects will directly and measurably contribute to the accomplishment of one or more of the program priorities as identified in the Hawaiʻi Conservation Program Business Plan. Projects that incorporate community outreach, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management while elevating traditional knowledge that will lead to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged.

In 2025, the Hawaiʻi Conservation Program will award grants to projects that address the following program priorities.

Bird Conservation: Reduce extinction risk for a suite of endemic bird species by addressing direct threats and improving habitat conditions. Pervasive and ongoing threats for Hawaiian birds include avian malaria, habitat loss and degradation, invasive predators and plants, and climate change. In 2025, NFWF seeks projects that support listed birds on Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island with a primary emphasis on the following priorities:

Landscape-scale mosquito control for endemic forest birds – Support the deployment of the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to suppress populations of the invasive southern house mosquito to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of avian malaria at a landscape-scale to prevent the extinction of endangered forest birds. Project activities may include implementation planning, data collection to inform prioritization of control locations, coordination and planning among Birds, Not Mosquitoes partnership, and community outreach and education on the conservation need and tool(s) available.
Kiwikiu – Support the kiwikiu steering committee’s efforts to address short and long-term conservation needs. Activities may include establishing a captive population or establishing a new population by translocation to reduce extinction risk. Specific actions such as captive rearing or translocation planning and/or assessments, locating and capturing individuals, infrastructure support, and species monitoring, will be considered.
ʻAlalā – Support the establishment of a self-sustaining population of ʻalalā on Maui. Project activities may include implementing a monitoring program to learn about survival, health, and space use of released ʻalalā through data obtained by radio telemetry and monitoring the effectiveness of predator control. The monitoring program will inform adaptive management actions for current and future releases.
Palila – Prevent extinction of palila. Support one of several key activities to insulate palila from continued decline. Project activities may include predator control and fencing with an emphasis on cat control, supplemental feeding during chick rearing, establishing a captive population, fire management including invasive vegetation management, outplanting native plants, maintaining ungulate-proof fences, and removal of ungulates within fenced units.
Oʻahu elepaio – Increase Oʻahu elepaio territorial occupancy. Project activities may include rodent control through trapping, predator surveys, and efficacy monitoring.
Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program: Lānaʻi is home to unique natural and cultural resources, stretching from the island’s mountain to its surrounding ocean. However, the landscape faces threats from uncontrolled ungulate populations, sedimentation runoff, invasive plants, and non-native predators. Over the past 150 years, mismanagement of and overgrazing by non-native ungulates, including axis deer and mouflon sheep, has led to unnatural erosion patterns, burying historic cultural sites near the coast, smothering the island’s coral reefs and white sand beaches with sediment, and destroying terrestrial habitats that are home to native fauna. Invasive plants, such as strawberry guava and fire-tolerant grasses, have changed the hydrology of the watershed, increasing soil compaction and flash flooding, and decreasing water infiltration to the island’s aquifers.

The Kuahiwi a Kai Program was launched in 2019 to protect and enhance Lānaʻi’s watershed health, coral reefs, native plants and animals, endangered Hawaiian petrel habitat, and sensitive coastal cultural sites, while fostering coordinated connection between Lānaʻi’s community and the land. In 2025, the Kuahiwi a Kai Program seeks projects in the following program priority areas:

Installation of ungulate-proof fence – Install the second segment of ungulate exclusion fencing, approximately 4.53 miles long, to enclose a core segment of the Kuahiwi a Kai program area. A grant to install the first segment of fencing was awarded through the program’s 2021 RFP and is currently under construction. The purpose of creating mauka to makai fenced management units is to strategically manage invasive ungulate populations, improve watershed conditions, and protect native habitats.
Restoration implementation planning – Develop a comprehensive restoration strategy and implementation plan for the Kuahiwi a Kai Program focusing on priority habitat management for: 1) lowland mesic forest within the completed Hiʻi predator exclusion fence to benefit ʻuaʻu, 2) lowland mixed native and introduced mesic forest across Lānaihale (see ʻuaʻu focal area on Map 2), 3) lowland scrub-shrub and bare earth at mid-latitudes on windward slopes of Kuahiwi a Kai program area, and 4) coastal kiawe (Prosopis pallida) forest and shrub lands. Successful project(s) will:
Engage program partners and stakeholders to create a framework for landscape habitat restoration.
Integrate data and findings from past grants to the U.S. Geological Survey for vegetation and sediment modeling.
Classify and prioritize management sub-units within identified ecosystems. Detail specific restoration actions and plant production goals for each management sub-unit, and include proposed schedules and budgets in alignment with the Kuahiwi a Kai program’s priorities and objectives. Results should clearly state a cost opinion related to each proposed management area and year-over-year cost schedule.
Integrate seed collection and propagation efforts, currently underway by Kuahiwi a Kai grantees, in proposed native plant production schedules.

Include implementation recommendations at a fieldwork-level specification for:
Invasive species management such as herbicide type and concentrations, treatment methods, debris management, equipment, and recommended PPE.
Native plant revegetation including recommended species and densities for each management unit based on verifiable reference ecosystems.

Adaptive management protocols including survey methodology, schedules, and benchmarks for monitoring of implementation areas, thresholds for amended actions, and proposed and projected schedule budgets.

Community engagement – Integrate the community and its cultural history into the priority conservation activities referenced above. Potential project activities may include engaging students and/or community members in educational, hands-on internships and/or volunteer projects focused on invasive plant management, native plant restoration, ungulate monitoring, and ungulate control.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is requesting proposals to restore, protect and enhance aquatic and riparian species of conservation concern and their habitats in the headwaters of the Colorado River and Rio Grande watersheds. Up to $1.3 million in funding is expected to be available through support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Trinchera Blanca Foundation, an affiliate of The Moore Charitable Foundation.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS/PROGRAM FUNDING PRIORITIES
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is part of NFWF’s Southwest Rivers Program and will provide funding to projects that produce measurable outcomes for species of conservation concern in the riparian corridors of the headwaters of the Colorado River and Rio Grande. The Rio Grande Headwaters Focal Area includes the mainstem and headwater tributaries of the Rio Grande in Colorado and northern New Mexico, as well as the headwaters of the Rio Chama, Jemez River, and Rio Puerco. The Colorado River Focal Area includes selected tributaries and headwaters of the Colorado River including the Escalante, Gila, Salt, San Juan, Verde and Virgin Rivers (see Figure 1). Projects located in the San Juan River watershed in southwestern Colorado should be submitted to the concurrent RESTORE Colorado 2025 RFP. Applicants are encouraged to consult NFWF's Southwest Rivers Business Plan mapping portal in informing potential geographic focus.

Priority projects will address the leading factors in aquatic and riparian species decline such as loss of natural processes and habitat, environmental change and invasive species. Projects employing process-based methods of wetlands and riparian restoration are highly encouraged. Maintaining healthy headwater wetlands and riparian areas provide security by improving the reliability of late season flows for water users, fish and wildlife downstream. Proposals should strive to contribute to goals detailed in NFWF’s Southwest Rivers Business Plan, and specifically the strategies related to focal species (see below) conservation. Projects benefiting one or more of the following species and their habitats are priorities for funding.

Business Plan focal species in the Rio Grande Headwaters Focal Area include Rio Grande cutthroat trout, North American beaver and southwestern willow flycatcher.
The focal species in the Colorado River Focal Area is North American beaver.
NFWF expects that projects creating potential beaver habitat will benefit a number of other native aquatic species in these focal areas.

PRIORITY ACTIVITIES
Priority restoration activities that address key limiting factors for focal species in the Colorado River and Rio Grande headwaters include:

Process-based wetland, riparian and instream habitat restoration and enhancement – Restore natural fluvial process that increase floodplain connectivity, dynamic channel processes and recruitment of native riparian vegetation. Activities may include beaver mimicry structures, livestock exclusion fencing and riparian vegetation planting, removal of channel stabilizing structures, and science-based design and analysis for process-based restoration projects.

Riparian habitat restoration and enhancement – Restore stream banks to increase floodplain connectivity and recruitment of native riparian vegetation. Activities may include streambank re-contouring and native vegetation planting, and engineering design and analysis for riparian restoration projects.

Instream restoration and enhancement – Restore and enhance stream channels that have suffered from channelization, thereby restoring the natural variety of stream substrate and flow patterns that benefit the life cycles of the focal species. Specific activities may include stream channel engineering and bank re-shaping.

Increase water availability for species and their habitats and/or remove barriers to flow – Make available more water for environmental flows that are necessary to drive process-based restoration and sustain species and their habitats through voluntary leasing or acquisition of water rights in the focal geographies. Remove or improve infrastructure at road crossings, culverts and check dams that act as barriers to the movement of aquatic species or promote natural dynamic processes to ensure habitat connectivity and fluvial development of the whole valley bottom.

Reintroduction and translocation of focal species – Translocation of focal aquatic species to stream reaches with improved habitat and protection from invasive species. Reintroduction of or attraction projects benefitting North American beaver in a manner compatible with ongoing agricultural use and irrigation and land management objectives, and which benefits other focal species dependent on the habitat created by beaver activity.

Protect focal species from invasives – Remove invasive fish that compete with and/or threaten to hybridize with Rio Grande cutthroat trout from streams which are or could be occupied by the native species. Construct barriers to protect established populations from hybridization where appropriate.

Increase Capacity for Low-tech Process-based Restoration implementation in and among conservation organizations working in the southwest region. Here we define increased capacity broadly, from new positions within an organization to funding for contracting with external partners that bring knowledge or manpower to extend the reach of low-tech process-based restoration techniques throughout the southwest.

Increase Capacity for Implementation of NRCS Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) conservation programs

Increase capacity for implementation of priority conservation activities through NRCS partner positions and technical assistance. Capacity grants should address the following priorities:

Increase Farm Bill program participation and conservation practice implementation among agricultural producers, especially farmers and ranchers in the Historically Underserved and Special Emphasis categories.
Grant recipients will provide technical assistance to interested farmers and ranchers to develop management plans, design and implement conservation practices, share their experiences and lessons learned, and participate in Farm Bill programs, especially the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). A particular emphasis should be placed on promoting, designing, and implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry (CSAF) conservation practices.
Applications are encouraged which support new full-time or part-time partner positions at applicant organizations such as foresters, wildlife biologists, rangeland specialists, and/or other natural resource professionals that will work in conjunction with NRCS personnel in New Mexico on a daily basis to carry out the provisions of the IRA. Duties of IRA partner positions include, but are not limited to, the following:

Providing technical assistance in the development of conservation plans and checkouts of completed practices.
Preparing and/or monitoring various contract management reports.
Preparing and issuing correspondence to participants such as annual practice reminders, deferral letters, preapproval letters, and eligibility letters.
Providing assistance with the application process such as reviewing documents for completeness, verifying control of land, irrigation history, signature authority, required electronic registrations, and troubleshooting eligibility/vendor issues.
Assisting with contract management by uploading and maintaining documents in electronic systems; removing expired contracts from active contract filing cabinets; and ensuring appropriate signatures on documents.
Assisting with the completion of reviews and audits by compiling documentation needed to support audit samples.

This funding opportunity under the Recycling Education and Outreach grant program aims to fund projects that will meet the following objectives and reduce GHGs:

Decrease wasted food from households (project #1);
Expand markets for and sales of compost (project #2); and
Inform the public about new or existing residential food waste composting programs; provide information about the materials that are accepted as part of a residential food waste composting program; and increase collection rates and decrease physical contamination in residential food waste composting programs (project #3).

Applications must include all three projects:
Project #1: Develop and Implement a National Consumer Wasted Food Reduction Campaign;
Project #2: Expand the Market and Sales of Compost; and
Project #3: Increase Education and Outreach to Households on Composting.

These projects should demonstrate how they will meet the objectives listed in Section I.D: Program

Vision and Goals.
The total amount of funding available under this funding opportunity is $39,094,000. The budget for project #1 must be no less than $30,000,000 and no more than $34,094,000, and the budgets for projects #2 and #3 combined must be no less than $5,000,000 and no more than $9,094,000 in total.

Applicants must demonstrate that they will subaward a portion of the total award funding to competitive campaign implementation subrecipients (see Section I.C: Key Definitions) to implement education and outreach locally for project #1 and #3, and they must plan to use a competitive process to select those subrecipients. Those competitive campaign implementation subrecipients could use the funds for staffing and local campaign implementation, including media planning and buying. Entities do not have to request a subaward from the grant recipient to implement campaigns locally, but some may wish to do so. For purposes of this NOFO, the subrecipients brought on by subawards to be part of the coalition that will administer the grant are referred to as “coalition member subrecipients” or “coalition members” to distinguish them from the subrecipients who receive subawards to implement education and outreach locally, who are referred to as “competitive campaign implementation subrecipients.” Coalition members would not be brought on via a competitive process.

Helping Build Stronger Communities
Mission
The Mission Statement of Vulcan Materials Company states that Vulcan “will be a good corporate citizen in each community in which we operate. We will support and take an active part in public and charitable projects.” Vulcan established the Vulcan Materials Company Foundation in 1988 to assist in carrying out that mission. Because contributions made by the Foundation are corporate-based business dollars, it is essential that they be made in a planned and consistent manner that best serves the combined interests of Vulcan and the communities in which we operate.

Vision
Helping Build Stronger Communities

Grantmaking Guidelines
Geographic Funding Priorities
In addition to the corporate headquarters, located in Birmingham, Alabama, there are eight Construction Materials divisions. Further, Vulcan has over 404* active aggregates facilities located in 22 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, and Honduras, Mexico and the Bahamas. Regarding proposals submitted to the Foundation, first consideration will be given to those organizations that will benefit the communities where Vulcan employees live and work. The Foundation’s giving program is decentralized to spread ownership of the program to a wider base. Because unit managers are directly involved with the communities where they do business, decentralization enables the Foundation to be more informed about, and to better address, local needs. Proposals submitted to the Foundation should be sent directly to the charitable contributions officer in the appropriate geographical area. To obtain the appropriate divisional contact or additional information, please contact giving@vmcmail.com.

* Updated after the acquisition of U.S. Concrete

Support Priorities
The Foundation supports many types of worthwhile organizations that enhance the quality of life in Vulcan’s communities. The Vulcan Materials Foundation focuses on three areas in particular:

Working with schools;
Supporting environmental stewardship; and
Encouraging employee involvement.
Special consideration will be given to proposals that integrate two or more of these focus areas.

Education
A major focus of the Foundation is to play a part in maintaining or improving the quality of life and standard of living through the support of education.

Elementary/Secondary Education
The Foundation will consider proposals that provide public education programs and projects that enhance the quality of learning for all students. The Foundation works to support efforts to improve educational systems and individual schools in Vulcan’s communities by partnering with public schools located in its operating areas. Vulcan has adopted 230 schools in its communities through support from the Foundation. It is Vulcan’s goal to increase the number of its school partnerships every year.

The Foundation is also interested in efforts to encourage young people to develop an interest in math, science and business. The Foundation, therefore, gives consideration to proposals designed to help maintain students’ curiosity and excitement about the world of math and science and to explore the world of industry and business. The Foundation is particularly interested in helping young people and their teachers understand the relevance of math and science to society, and supports efforts to link these subjects to their application in the workplace. The Foundation also will consider programs designed to educate our students about the vital role of business and industry in society.

Although all worthwhile proposals for elementary and secondary education projects are considered on an individual basis, the Foundation generally does not fund projects involving private schools.

Higher Education
Higher education will play an increasingly critical role in helping the economy effectively compete in the global market. The Foundation recognizes the invaluable contributions made by institutions of higher learning in educating the nation’s future workforce.

The Foundation will consider proposals from those institutions located in states where the Company has facilities, particularly proposals that focus on science and engineering or improving public education. Although proposals for capital improvements will be considered, the Foundation prefers to fund projects that directly affect the outcome of the educational process, such as scholarships and science and technology programs.

The Foundation funds many types of educational programs, such as:

An extended learning program at Hodgkins Elementary School in Hodgkins, Illinois.
The Accelerated Reading program for students in various elementary schools in the metro Atlanta area.
The Construction Engineering and Management Program at San Diego State University.
Numerous scholarships nationwide.

Environmental Stewardship

The Foundation supports the philosophy that economic development and environmental stewardship have common goals. Responsible economic growth provides the resources necessary to be a good steward of the environment, while this stewardship helps to sustain growth.

There are important links between industry, the environment and technological innovation. A society that is better informed about environmental issues will be able to participate more effectively in public policy debates. Grantmaking will focus on organizations and programs that seek to develop an understanding of the connection between environmental stewardship and sustainable development.
The Foundation will consider supporting those environmental organizations
that adhere to fact-based, balanced environmental principles.

Through partnerships with organizations such as the Wildlife Habitat Council, of which Vulcan was a founding member, Vulcan seeks to promote environmental stewardship in the communities where our employees live and work. Vulcan employees actively participate in improving their communities by establishing and maintaining certified wildlife habitats on Vulcan property. During 2019, Vulcan operated 37 certified wildlife habitats at its facilities across the U.S. The Foundation funds many types of programs to conserve the environment and to increase environmental education, such as:

The Cahaba River Society’s CLEAN program that educates middle and high school students about watershed conservation in Central Alabama.
The conservation of native vegetation in the China Creek Park in Fresno, California, where, in addition to sponsorship, West Region employees have been working with Centerville Elementary students to plant native trees and shrubs.
The preservation programs of the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, protecting the natural areas of the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills.

Employee Involvement
Vulcan has a history of encouraging its employees to participate in volunteer activities in their communities. We recognize that our workforce offers a unique resource to provide leadership in the communities where we operate. Thus, high priority will be given by the Foundation to proposals from those organizations in which company employees are actively involved, especially in our focus areas of education and environmental stewardship.

General Information
The Foundation awards grants to public charities and units of government, such as public schools and parks. A public charity is any Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization which also meets one of the three Internal Revenue Code definitions: 509(a)(1), 509(a)(2) or 509(a)(3). The Foundation does not award grants to private foundations.

As a matter of policy, the Foundation does not fund individuals; organizations outside the United States; telephone or mass-mail appeals; political organizations; testimonial dinners; sectarian religious activities; organizations which have discriminatory practices; or athletic, labor, fraternal and veterans associations. The Foundation generally will not consider requests from organizations located in communities where Vulcan has no operations, offices or employees.

The American-Made Community Power Accelerator Prize: Accessing Capital to Deploy Equitable Community Solar is a $10 million prize designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and co-developers to learn, participate, and grow their operations to support multiple successful community solar projects. The goal of this prize is to expand a robust ecosystem of community solar project developers that incorporate meaningful benefits into projects across the United States. In 2024, Round 3 of the Community Power Accelerator Prize expanded beyond community solar to include other forms of distributed solar energy technologies.

The prize is part of the Community Power AcceleratorTM, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Community Solar Partnership+ (NCSP+) that connects developers, investors, philanthropists, and community-based organizations to get more equitable solar projects financed and deployed. The Accelerator provides training, technical assistance, and an online platform to support the critical connections necessary to finance and expand access to affordable distributed solar.

Catalyzing transformative economic opportunities through advanced AI technologies.
Building on the success of our inaugural year, the GitLab Foundation is thrilled to announce the continuation and expansion of the AI for Economic Opportunity Fund with a second round of funding focused on demonstration and scaling.

This initiative represents a partnership between the GitLab Foundation, Ballmer Group, and OpenAI, demonstrating our collective commitment to leveraging emerging AI technologies to create economic opportunity and drive income growth.

Our Commitment
In this second year, the AI for Economic Opportunity Demonstration and Scaling Fund has evolved into a two-phase initiative:

In the first phase, the GitLab Foundation will grant a minimum of $3.5 million to up to 14 demonstration projects. These projects will be focused on developing and deploying prototype tools, gathering user feedback and building evidence of outcomes.

In the second phase, Ballmer Group will provide funding to scale high-potential projects, awarding either 1-year or 2-year grants ranging from $500K to $1.5M per year to a maximum of six selected grantees from the demonstration phase.

OpenAI will continue to provide both financial and technical support to grantees, including additional funding, access to early product releases, credits, and technical advice.

Additional funders are encouraged to participate in helping source, review and support these high potential projects. We expect total awards over the lifecycle of this funding round to exceed $10 million.

We are interested in creative applications including (but not limited to) tools and services that improve economic opportunity across many applications: skill development, job matching, hiring systems, internal mobility, coaching, benefits access, debiasing systems, data analysis and use, job quality, etc.

Undocumented Orphaned Well Characterization and Remediation

This announcement aligns with Department of Energy's Office of Resource Sustainability's Methane Mitigation Technologies Program to develop advanced tools and technologies that will significantly reduce methane emissions and other environmental impacts associated with undocumented orphaned wells. This announcement will support the undocumented orphaned wells subprogram by soliciting research on new processes and development of new materials, tools, and technologies for wellbore characterization, effective plugging and abandonment operations, and pre and post plugging and abandonment emissions monitoring.

Objective
The objective of this FOA is to competitively solicit applications for advancing
cost-effective technology options toward commercialization that can more
efficiently characterize the condition of Undocumented Orphaned Wells
(UOWs) and provide a range of remediation options.

Areas of Inerest (AOI)
• Area of Interest 1: Advanced Remediation Techniques for UOW Boreholes
• Area of Interest 2: UOW Wellbore Characterization
• Area of Interest 3: Long-Term UOW Monitoring